Previews

Final Fantasy XII

A playable demo of the most eagerly awaited Square-Enix title gives English speakers their first look in over a year, with plenty of insights into the battle system in store.

Spiffy:

Great characters, an exciting world, and speedy, controllable battles.

Iffy:

Will the battles remain interesting, and will the plot make sense in the final game?

Final Fantasy XII has been the most elusive game in the series, maybe. Public showings have been few and far between. The last time it was playable in the U.S., after all, was May 2004, at that year's E3 show. However, included with Dragon Quest VIII -- a game that is plenty good enough to sell without a demo -- a playable disc containing two Final Fantasy XII dungeons is included. Rather than setting up either dungeon with plot, the disc shows you the same FMV intro that was shown at Square-Enix's E3 event this year. Though both playable segments are short, the vast differences between this game and its predecessors means that there's plenty to talk about.

The menu of the demo contains two options: "The Phon Coast: Wait Mode, for Thinking Players," and "Stilshrine of Mirian: Active Mode, for Thrill Seekers." The former is an outdoor environment, the latter a catacomb. The modes refer to the battle system; in Wait Mode, the game halts time while you pick options off of the battle menus, while Active Mode doesn't -- an option also included in the ATB-based FF games.

Let's start with the Phon Coast, and what I was able to learn there. Once you pick the level you wish to explore, a screen pops up explaining your objective. In the Phon Coast, you must battle three of a specific enemy, and once you do, the boss will appear. The game also tells you a hint: let the enemies tire themselves out battling, as they don't get along. It's true; if you don't attack but simply hang back and watch, the monsters will battle each other. Whether or not this sort of hint screen will be common in the final game is unknown, but it does give me the impression that this game will be more mission-based than exploration-based, as in most RPGs.

In Phon Coast, your party consists of lead Vaan, his girlfriend Penelo, and Basch, the knight. There's no plot to set up why they're there, as explained -- you're just set on your way to battle enemies. Behind you, and at any other point on the map where you might theoretically be able to leave for another area, there is a dotted line of lights which you cannot cross. Again, whether this is a demo thing or how the final game will work -- who knows?

The Phon Coast dungeon is, as you'd expect, a beach. It's a wide-open area, extremely large -- it's probably half as large as FFX's Calm Lands area, which was one of the largest, most open areas in that game. Enemies, visible on the map in the top right as red dots, and easily identifiable in your field of view, wander freely. The landscape is also dotted with barrels that contain items. When you get near a treasure, an exclamation point appears over Vaan's head; when you get close enough to pick it up, the game will let you know. The camera is completely freely controllable and mapped to the right analog stick, letting you get a good view of the action.